Not too soon to start discussion TENNESSEE? So much to discuss... My questions are=

[Zarathustra]

I would enjoy hearing from the BONEYARD on all things "Lady Volunteers" but to start:
1. Have you "Major" concerns about Tennessee's press? I watched the game
highlights of Louisville beating Tennessee and it appeared to me that (IN THE SECOND
HALF) Louisville had no trouble breaking down the Lady Vol's pressure defense. I
think that this issue is "real" but I believe that it will not be a big ++ in Tennessee's a favor.
2. Does anyone have insights into Tennessee's capacity to play any form of
effective ZONE defense? This is probably my major concern. Tennessee has
athleticism and length and with those variables it could make Tennessee's ability to use
some form of ZONE (3 -2 ?) rather effectively and strike at one of UCONN's Achilles' Heels (more than one you say?). This could be a real concern for Geno and our otherwise high-flying offense.
3. Other ideas/ concerns???
Seton Hall and Xavier come first... but... really, February 1st is NOT that far away!!

 

[Bone Dog]

Is Tennessee’s press more formidable than tOSU’s.

 

[fomalhaut]

I have confidence as long as Connecticut isn't Antarctically cold from 3-point range. The defense is better than anyone in the country.

 

[Next 12]

My thoughts are, is, will Tennessee be able to handle Uconn's press.? Does Tennessee have the stamina to contain Uconn. I'm sure the players have not forgot the last time they played and lost. I;m sure they will NOT let it happen again. They know that Uconn is NO.1 and will show Tennessee NO.1 I am not worried. GO HUSKIES!!!!!!

 

[EricSD]

I am always worried about "bigger" games. UConn has not looked unbeatable in really any recent games. Long stretches of uninspired play, or an arctic freeze from deep, etc. Tennessee has been playing better beating who they are supposed to and I'm sure they will be up for the game. On the flip side, UConn should remember what happened last year. It DID launch us to a fabulous end to the season and we were unstoppable after that loss, but they team does remember.

I think there will be stretches where they play us tough. But I just don't believe they have the talent to match our game plan and keep up with us. We will see. I'd love to see a 40 point blowout.

 

[Bone Dog]

Who is worth worrying about on Tennessee? Cooper, maybe. Barker? Spearman? The Pauldo twins? The thing is, Tennessee has some talent, but it isn’t very well balanced compared to last year’s less talented team. Their shooting is unimpressive, especially from 3, which was one of the threats they wielded effectively last season. I expect Cooper and Spearman to play solid defense and for Barker to be mainly a distraction. And the Pauldos to get eaten alive by KK and Ash and Kayleigh. No one can manage Sarah, and Blanca should prove a revelation in this game — who will match up with her? In a way, the most interesting matchup could be Cooper vs Azzi. I’m looking forward to seeing how it plays out.

 

[Skeets]

Going by how they looked at the Barclay Center I have zero worries. If Loo-a-vul can make them look bad, what do you think UConn can do?

 

[Blakeon18]

Saw quite a bit of their win a couple of days ago against a highly ranked Kentucky team.
Their press is formidable...shooting erratic...lots of penetration drives to basket.
Excellent athleticism/lots of energy/lots of substitution.


If our guards handle their press..with help from Sarah and occasionally others... we win by double digits.
Turnovers and possible foul trouble might lead to something bad. I think they have the talent to win but they will
need help from us...that would include lousy trey shooting which we have seen a fair amount of. It's a home
game {Hartord]...hopefully 100% attendance with LOTS of bus transportation for LOTS of students to be there.

 

[BBallF]

Saw them get beat by the Lady Cards at the Barclay Center. They are not the same team as last year. They couldn't handle their press so how can they handle ours? I only worry about their bigs. Very, very big and physical. We need Jana healthy for that game.

 

[diggerfoot]

The most talented teams tend to do the best at the beginning of the year, The best coached teams tend do their best at end of the year tournaments, sometimes beating more talented teams. Mid-season all teams occasionally lose focus because they are college kids. Even so, our opponents generally will not lose focus against teams like us. We will get their best.

This year it may be we could lose a little focus against a top team and still win, but I doubt we will lose any focus against Tennessee. They are the last team to beat four out of our five starters and they are Tennessee. I predict a relatively low turnover game for us and we will cover whatever the spread is.

 

[HuskylnSC]

Are you kidding? This is a 20-to-25-point win for UConn. The only worry about the game is what will the weather be like.

 

[Zarathustra]

Is Tennessee’s press more formidable than tOSU’s.

I' m not sure about OSU but Louisville vs Tennessee on Dec 20th, 2025:
The Lady Vols had 17 turnovers vs the Cardinals and Louisville had 12 steals to
Tennessee's 9.
Also on a different stat: Louisville 59 rebounds 17 offensive to
Tennessee's 37 rebounds and 15 offensive.

 

[Zarathustra]

My thoughts are, is, will Tennessee be able to handle Uconn's press.? Does Tennessee have the stamina to contain Uconn. I'm sure the players have not forgot the last time they played and lost. I;m sure they will NOT let it happen again. They know that Uconn is NO.1 and will show Tennessee NO.1 I am not worried. GO HUSKIES!!!!!!

N.B. Tennessee has a National Freshman of the year candidate playing
PG: Mia Pauldo #13 (with a twin sister, MYA #12). Against Louisville
Mia (not Mya) had 10 points in 29 minutes with four assists and THREE
turnovers. (note: to KK and Kayleigh= here is possible chance to increase
her T.O. rate!) In that game Mia was a somewhat HIGH VOLUME shooter at
3/11 and 2/6 from beyond the arc.

 

[meyers7]

TN? no problem. UCONN by 50+

 

[Zarathustra]

Saw them get beat by the Lady Cards at the Barclay Center. They are not the same team as last year. They couldn't handle their press so how can they handle ours? I only worry about their bigs. Very, very big and physical. We need Jana healthy for that game.

Spearman is 6'4", Latham is 6'2", Wolfenbarger is 6'5", Janiah Barker is 6'4"
BYW the Pauldo twins (guards) are 5'6". Three freshmen for TENN, who
do play, are Lauren Hurst at 6'3" and Deniya Prawl (Canadian) at 6'2"
and Jaida Civil at 6'0". I think this is A LOT of "big", "physical" talent!

 

[Zarathustra]

Are you kidding? This is a 20-to-25-point win for UConn. The only worry about the game is what will the weather be like.

"DOOMED"!!!

 

[CONNCAN]

UCONN will get the revenge from last year's game. Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong will both be dominant. KK will do KK things as usual. If UCONN is relatively healthy (Jana El Alfy can effectively spell for Serah Williams with significant minutes, and the rest of the beach can also contribute, then this will offset Tennessee's "Hockey Style" Rotations. In my opinion, the ONLY match up that Tennessee has over UCONN is that Mia Pauldo will "Dominate" over Ashlynn Shade. Ash will have problems dealing with Mia Pauldo's quickness and speed.

 

[Zarathustra]

TN? no problem. UCONN by 50+

Louisville won by +24 on Dec. 20th. My prognostication will
be less than your MOV of 50!

 

[HuskyNan]

Spearman is 6'4", Latham is 6'2", Wolfenbarger is 6'5", Janiah Barker is 6'4"
BYW the Pauldo twins (guards) are 5'6". Three freshmen for TENN, who
do play, are Lauren Hurst at 6'3" and Deniya Prawl (Canadian) at 6'2"
and Jaida Civil at 6'0". I think this is A LOT of "big", "physical" talent!

Jana 6-5
Serah 6-4
Sarah 6-2
Blanca 6-2
Ayanna 6-2
Caroline 6-2
Azzi 5-11
Allie 5-11
Ash 5-10
Kayleigh 5-9
KK 5-9, plays like 6-5 on roller skates

 

[BBallF]

Spearman is 6'4", Latham is 6'2", Wolfenbarger is 6'5", Janiah Barker is 6'4"
BYW the Pauldo twins (guards) are 5'6". Three freshmen for TENN, who
do play, are Lauren Hurst at 6'3" and Deniya Prawl (Canadian) at 6'2"
and Jaida Civil at 6'0". I think this is A LOT of "big", "physical" talent!

The Paulido twins were on the #1 ranked high school team, in USA Today last year which was Morris Catholic, about 30 minutes from where I live. Only 1 plays usually and she has a hard time against bigger guards although she is very fast. She ain't seen the likes of KK yet and for extra measure K9. Tennessee will try to slow the game down and pound it under. Problem is that if you fall behind you start to rush shots and then you are well done avocado toast. Their bigs do not have the mobility of Sarah and Blanca and even Serah.

 

[Tonyc]

Not really concerned about about this game. UConns defense will take over. The LVs make to many mistakes and play to much one on one. TOs and steals will result in a huge UConn win. So many fans are concerned about their height. Look at their stats. TOs especially. UConns quickness will be a problem for Tenn. Tenn will be on the road. No southern cooking.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Spearman is 6'4", Latham is 6'2", Wolfenbarger is 6'5", Janiah Barker is 6'4"
BYW the Pauldo twins (guards) are 5'6". Three freshmen for TENN, who
do play, are Lauren Hurst at 6'3" and Deniya Prawl (Canadian) at 6'2"
and Jaida Civil at 6'0". I think this is A LOT of "big", "physical" talent!

This is my one worry for the game. They put a lengthy team on the floor. If they are up for it they can make our passing game more than a little challenged.

 

[Bone Dog]

Jana 6-5
Serah 6-4
Sarah 6-2
Blanca 6-2
Ayanna 6-2
Caroline 6-2
Azzi 5-11
Allie 5-11
Ash 5-10
Kayleigh 5-9
KK 5-9, plays like 6-5 on roller skates

I was thinking the same thing. Tennessee is not any bigger than UConn. And I wouldn’t trade any of ours for even one of theirs.

Also, although Kim Caldwell has a deep rotation, 8-10 deep, her substitution pattern has settled into something more traditional. The starting 5 tends to play >20 mins, which means she can’t trust the bottom half of her roster as much as she did last season. Cooper in particular gets a lot of minutes, too many for her to sustain in a game long press. Last season, Tennessee depended on a high energy press and the hockey-line subs pattern made it possible to sustain this for whole games. Now Kim picks her spots to run a somewhat less energetic press.

What I see is a wonderful opportunity for Azzi to defend Cooper and for Serah to do the same against Spearman. For the rest of our main rotation, this should be business as usual, an interesting challenge at best. On the other side, how will Tennessee cope with Sarah and Blanca? This could be Blanca’s best game of the season, against a chaotic opponent. I have a feeling she will thrive in such a game.

 

[Gusaford]

I saw the Tennessee-Louisville game at Barclays. Tennessee shot poorly in all facets and got beat pretty badly on the boards. Tennessee's only chance against UConn is to make it a rugby game and hope the refs don't blow the whistle. Just one person's opinion.

 

[HuskyNan]

I was thinking the same thing. Tennessee is not any bigger than UConn. And I wouldn’t trade any of ours for even one of theirs.

Also, although Kim Caldwell has a deep rotation, 8-10 deep, her substitution pattern has settled into something more traditional. The starting 5 tends to play >20 mins, which means she can’t trust the bottom half of her roster as much as she did last season. Cooper in particular gets a lot of minutes, too many for her to sustain in a game long press. Last season, Tennessee depended on a high energy press and the hockey-line subs pattern made it possible to sustain this for whole games. Now Kim picks her spots to run a somewhat less energetic press.

What I see is a wonderful opportunity for Azzi to defend Cooper and for Serah to do the same against Spearman. For the rest of our main rotation, this should be business as usual, an interesting challenge at best. On the other side, how will Tennessee cope with Sarah and Blanca? This could be Blanca’s best game of the season, against a chaotic opponent. I have a feeling she will thrive in such a game.

Blanca has hit the freshman wall this month. Freshmen tend to struggle, to various extents, and you can see it in Blanca’s last couple of games. It doesn’t seem all that bad, mostly a loss of concentration, so hopefully she’ll come out of it soon

FWIW, Sarah breezed through the wall like it wasn’t there for her. She is truly special